WATCH: Max Verstappen wins at Ferrari’s home race
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CRUISE: Max Verstappen
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dashed Ferrari’s home hopes and won the Italian Grand Prix behind the safety car on Sunday to move potentially a race away from his second Formula One world championship.
The Dutch 24-year-old's victory at the “Temple of Speed”, in a race that ended disappointingly and to jeers from the crowd, was Verstappen’s fifth in a row and 11th from 16 races this season.
We nailed it 👌![CDATA[]]>🇮![CDATA[]]>🇹
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 11, 2022
We had an amazing start and I was able to quickly get in my rhythm. The car was absolutely flying and really enjoyable to drive all weekend, great work once again team! pic.twitter.com/vx7oTVKRFH
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Verstappen’s closest rival and now 116 points adrift with six races remaining, took second after starting on pole position.
George Russell finished third for Mercedes.
If Verstappen scores 22 points more than Leclerc in the next race under floodlights in Singapore on October 2, the title battle will be over. Otherwise, it goes on to Japan a week later.
The win was the 31st of Verstappen's career, lifting him level with Britain’s 1992 champion Nigel Mansell in the all-time lists.